Stockholm Syndrome
by danidarling
Summary: Bella's about to learn why it's never a good idea to let yourself be charmed by boys like Edward on subways. Rated M for future language, violence, situations, so on and so forth.
1. Prologue: Stockholm Syndrome

**Disclaimer: You're totally not a creeper.**

**xoxoxo**

New York has a way of getting lonely, especially when you don't know anyone. The closest I have to an acquaintance outside of work is this guy on the subway, and we've never even spoken. He acknowledges me with a nod, and then goes right along his business. Sad, isn't it? I've been watching him five days a week, for the past six weeks, but that doesn't make me a voyeur, does it?

It's not a creepy type of watching, honestly. I can't help it; he's on the same subway as me every night, sitting in the same car, in the same seat. I'm a creature of habit; so I stick to know what I know. And what I know just happens to be this spot; I suppose he feels the same way.

He's a pretty boy, that's the best way to describe him. And I don't mean that as an insult; he literally is pretty; beautiful even. His skin is alabaster white; he makes me look like I have a tan. It suits him, however. His hair is bronze, eternally messy, as if he had already had his way with one of his conquests before he even got her on the train. Sex hair, that's what it's called. He looks exactly as if he's just been rode, and rode hard at that. His eyes are a dark, piercing brown, and he has amazing bone structure, and this crooked little grin that lights up the underground station.

The only thing that changes is the girl that accompanies him, and even then they aren't exactly varied. Pretty co-eds, all soft curves and bright smiles. I've seen him with just about every color of the rainbow; he goes through these girls like they're skittles.

I wonder how he even has time for classes, when he's always out chasing girls. He goes to NYU, I know that much. He obviously takes night classes, as he gets out the same time every day. And he's always with a girl, the ones who laugh at his every statement as if he's the most hilarious guy they've ever met.

He really has no common decency. Once we're in the subway, he's all over the girls, pulling them into his lap and not so subtly groping them, kissing his way over their exposed skin, making them moan. It's disgusting, how these girls let themselves be felt up in public.

Really, it truly is. It's not just jealously.

And he gets off one stop before me. Every night, he leads his latest conquest from the train, a little smile on his face.

One Tuesday, he turned that gorgeous, crooked smile on me. Just a brief smile, as he gave me the once over, before he departed, slinging an arm over the pretty girl besides him. It was nothing much, to be honest, but that smile set me on fire, it made me want to be one of those girls that he lead off the train.

A girl can dream, right?

**xoxoxo**

And someday, a dream is bound to come true. Two weeks and three days after he smiled at me, he approached me one night in the subway station, turning on that megawatt grin. My mind went haywire as he came closer. God, he was even more beautiful close-up, and he smelled amazing. Both manly and sweet, an intoxicating scent. Dimly, somewhere in the back of my mind, I realized that my panties were dampened just from that smile alone.

"Hello. I've seen you on the train for awhile, but I never got a chance to introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen." He said, extending a hand. His voice was smooth, fluid. My heart pounded in my chest as I took his hand. He lifted mine to his lips, kissing the back of my palm, before lowering my hand, but not letting it go.

"Bella Swan," I replied quietly, and he continued to smile, even as the train pulled into the station. He waved his hand toward the train, following me on and taking the seat next to my normal one.

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella. A fitting name, for a young woman as beautiful as yourself." Edward smiled, casually draping an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. I found myself looking into his eyes. Up close, the brown was less clear, less piercing. If I looked hard enough, I could see the edges of contacts around his eyes faintly. I wondered what color his eyes were, and why he'd want to cover them with contacts.

During my examination of his eyes, Edward had situated us, so I was on his lap, one hand pressed to my thigh, the one attached to the arm draped around my shoulder gently cupping my breast.

The rational part of my mind feebly informed me that I should be alarmed. The rest of me was far too caught up in his good his fingers felt against my breast, and the cool gust of air against my neck as he brought his face closer, pressing his lips lightly to the curve. My hands came up, lacing themselves together behind his neck as he kissed his way up my neck, pausing mere millimeters from my neck. He spoke, his sweet breath washing over my face, quashing all sense.

"I think we're going to be very good friends, Bella."

**xoxoxo**

**Hey hey, boys and girls. I needed an outlet from 'Allow me to Introduce myself,' and this was supposed to initially start as Twilight set in college, then my fingers got away from me, and came up with this little doozy of prologue. In case you can't tell, Bella is out little subway creeper, watching Edward getting his freak on with numerous women. Bella's a sad little small-town girl, all along in New York, with a few issues. I'm going for a slightly darker vampire here, more on the feeding and seduction. My Cullens aren't going to be perfect angels; they'll all have their issues. Speaking of which, we'll be seeing them in the next chapter, depending on how you guys feel about this story.**

**Story title was kinda inspired by a Blink 182 song, 'Stockholm Syndrome,' not the actual song itself (although I was listening to it), but the title itself. So, yes. Just think about the title, and you have a pretty decent idea of how the story's gonna go.**

**Review? :)**


	2. Chapter 1 All Downhill From Here

**Disclaimer: Nobody's perfect.**

**xoxoxo**

**Jasper's POV**

Carlisle had us lined up in his office, four out of five of his vampire 'children,' three out of four of us sporting crimson eyes, so unlike his own. Esme leaned against the desk next to him, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Carlisle pace back and forth, her expression troubled.

He was clearly disappointed, just looking at the four of us. Not that any of us could blame him. Carlisle had saved the majority of us from death, and had accepted others of us into his family gladly. He and Esme treated us all the same, whether we had his venom running through us or not. All he asked was that we at least tried to refrain from drinking humans. Did we try? Sure. Did we stop? Nope.

Carlisle was one of the oldest vampires I had encountered, clocking in at upwards of three-hundred years old, coming quite close to four-hundred. He was also one of the most controlled, as well. He had, save for the four humans he saved, never drank from a human, and was a doctor. Something which went against everything that one would consider for a vampire. Who could allow themselves to be around humans day in and day out, many of them spewing blood, and never even sample them?

I know I couldn't. And I wasn't alone, either. Esme and Rosalie were the only two that adhered to Carlisle's diet, and even Rosalie wasn't perfect about it. She had never tasted human blood, but she had spilled it, a thousand times over. As a human, Rosalie had been brutally raped and murdered by her fiancé and his friends. As a vampire, she had taken her revenge on him, murdering them in cold blood. However, she hadn't stopped with that act of vengeance. Even now, she prowled the streets of New York at night, routinely killing rapists, often in gory, rather violent ways. In the three years that Rosalie had been ripping apart men, tearing their hearts from their chests, and ripping off their cocks, stuffing them down their throats until they choked, she had made a name for herself among the New York Police Department.

She never left any evidence behind, and no one ever saw her working, save for her victims, and her victim's victims, and they were all too grateful and terrified to reveal any of the details they might have known.

Emmett worked in similar circles to Rosalie, in that he only went after those committing crimes, but he simply drained the bodies of criminals, leaving them intact rather than tearing them to pieces. He was better at disposal of the bodies though. He'd dispose of them in the New York Harbor, stuffing them into weighted plastic bags and swimming them a few miles out into the waters that were rarely traversed.

Alice and I fed whenever necessary, aiming for criminals as well. We had some sort of conscious when it came to our feeding, which was more than we could say about Edward.

Edward was a sadistic little bastard on an entirely new level. He liked to go for the innocent co-eds who couldn't resist his charm, and who didn't know they were doomed until they were nearly dead. He attended one or two night classes a semester, just to stake out the prospects of NYU. Granted, we were all careful with our hunting patterns, and Edward was no exception. However, he was reckless, even when he was careful. Not establishing patterns of hunting, but going for those who people would notice missing.

Even now, as Carlisle had us lined up, Edward was missing from our ranks, undoubtedly making his next move. Carlisle sighed heavily, taking in our faces, showing signs of stress.

"We may need to move soon. " Carlisle said without preamble. Rosalie was the first to react, snarling quietly as her hands balled into fists.

"Move from this house, or move out of New York?" She demanded, anger pulsing about her. Carlisle wasn't phased by her show of anger.

"Relax, Rosalie." He held up his hands, observing her calmly. "Just out of this house. New York is more than large enough for us to remain settled here without suspicion, but we've been in this house for too long without many changes and we're bound to start drawing some question." Alice's forehead wrinkled at that. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she considered his statement, her eyes glazing slightly as a vision overtook her.

"You mean the Martins are becoming suspicious." She said drily, and we all looked toward the ceiling. Our house was more of a large apartment, with two floors of each family. We were directly below the penthouse, and Courtney and Jackson Martin. The Martins had been trouble since we moved in, asking far too many questions, wondering about the family that lived below them in a manner that went far beyond normal neighborly curiosity. Carlisle nodded to Alice, before lowering his voice even more.

"Alice is right. They're asking far too many questions about us, and I think it's time for us to move on. I won't require any of you to enroll in high school, but I do strongly suggest you sign up for college courses this time around." Carlisle looked at all of us one by one, his gaze stopping on me. I dropped my eyes, looking down at the thick carpeting. Out of all of us, I was usually the one most reluctant to attend school. After the third time through college, it got pretty old, and I felt no urge to obtain another degree I'd only use for a few years.

"Where are we going then?" Emmett asked, pulling a now sulky Rosalie closer to him. Carlisle looked to Esme, who pushed herself off the desk.

"I've been checking out real estate in upstate New York recently. It's less populated, but closer to wooded areas, which is a positive." She said brightly. "Carlisle and I have agreed on a house and signed the lease on it. It should be ready for move in by Monday. I know it's a bit far out from the city but-" Alice cut her off, her crimson eyes darkening dangerously.

"It's a plus for you, Carlisle and Rosalie, you mean, because you wouldn't have to travel as far to feed." Alice pointed out, and Esme frowned. "It would also mean that the rest of us would have to commute to continue our usual diet, or turn to the vegetarian diet full time."

Alice glanced at me for support, and I nodded, seeing her point. "And we wouldn't be able to stay there as long. It's less populated, like you said, but that means there would be more chance for exposure because people are usually buying houses, not renting apartments. The turnover rate for real estate must be non-existent. They don't move; they're settling down with families." _Face it, you're just looking for an excuse to push your lifestyle back on us._ I thought bitterly, and Esme's face hardened.

"Those are indeed valid points, Jasper, Alice," Carlisle began, his serene expression slipping, "but the fact of the matter is that-" Alice cut him off, leaping to her feet from the overstuffed settee we were all perched on.

"Fuck! Edward, what are you doing?" Alice snarled, leaping to her feet and running out of Carlisle's office. We remained frozen, listening to the normally cheerful Alice curse up a storm as she ran throughout the apartment.

I motioned to Carlisle, indicating that I would help Alice and he nodded, relieved. It was easier to deal with us in pairs, rather than one large group. Less opposition.

**xoxoxo**

I jogged after Alice, following her scent to one of the back stairwells. There, I found her screaming at Edward, pointing into the corner of the stairwell, then pointing at the huddled, shivering mass on the stairwells. The mass was sobbing quietly, confusion and terror shrouded about it. The scent of blood, sweet and delicious was heavy in the air. Looking up, I saw a crushed mass of plastic and wires. Stepping closer, I found a small, circular piece of glass on the ground and rapidly put the pieces together.

"Jesus fuck, Edward! Were you going to fucking feed off of her right here in the hallway, with the cameras rolling? And then what were you going to do? Dispose of the body and go right about your business, forgetting all about the fucking cameras? By the time you got around to it, they'd have fucking reported you!" Alice whispered harshly.

Edward had brought one of his conquests home, rather than taking care of his needs, whether they be to feed or fuck, in an out of the way area like he normally would have. The girl's blood, which I saw leaking from a cut on her palm, smelled clean and untainted by venom. He had probably gotten a little too wound up, launching his initial attack, disguised as lust on the staircase, cutting her hand open for a taste.

From Alice's words, she had probably seen him taking it too far, murdering the girl in the staircase, all while the camera filmed. And I'd bet Edward would have never noticed that the camera was even rolling. The dumb bastard thought with the head in his pants, not the one on his shoulders.

"Fucking reckless," I swore at him, pushing the pair apart slightly and kneeling next to the bleeding, shaking girl. "Both of you." I continued, and Alice scowled down at me as I tore off a long strip of fabric from my shirt, winding it around the girl's bleeding palm.

"What do you mean, 'both of you?' Alice demanded as I tied the end of the fabric tightly, hopefully slowing the blood flow. The girl stared up at me through glazed eyes, her lips moving soundlessly.

"You're talking about Edward feeding off of the girl right in front of her, for God's sake." I replied, and Alice's eyes widened slightly. "I wonder how much she's figured out, especially once you mentioned disposing of the body." Standing, I pulled the girl to her feet with me, before wiping my hands on my jeans.

"Way to go, Edward. Now you're really gonna have to kill her, since she knows you were planning on it obviously." I spat, and shock raced through the girl, and she immediately tried to make a break for it, launching herself back down the stairs. I reached out, effortlessly catching the back of her shirt and pulling her back, frowning as she let out a high-pitched scream of terror. Automatically, I covered her mouth, muting the scream and pulling her toward me as she struggled.

Edward buried his face in his hands, swearing steadily underneath his breath as Alice darted forward, a growl forming deep in her throat. She took the girl by the shoulders, shaking her gently.

"Quiet!" Alice hissed, and the scream died in the girl's throat as she took in this tiny pixie of a girl, shaking her as if she was a rag doll, her eyes glowing red with anger. "If you'll just relax, maybe we won't have to kill you." The girl whimpered deep in her throat at the word, and Alice rubbed her temples, before nodding to me.

"Take her upstairs, but move fast. There isn't any chance of us being spotted I think, but we need to avoid the cameras." She instructed, and I nodded, taking the girl up into my arms and running up the stairs quickly. Alice darted around me, opening the door to our floor, before running ahead and opening the front door.

In all, we were back in Carlisle's office in less than ten seconds, the girl already on her feet as Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie and Emmett stared at her. Edward stood just over the threshold, his face impassive as he stared at the girl. She swayed visibly, her face pale, before she leaned forward, throwing up all over the carpet. Alice groaned, stepping forward to pull the girls' hair out her face as Carlisle became the first to comprehend the situation. His topaz eyes darkened as he stared from Alice and the girl, to me, then over my shoulder at Edward.

"Which one of you would care to explain just exactly what is going on?" He asked, in a deadly quiet voice. Alice and I exchanged a look, before pointing to Edward, who looked almost ill. "Edward?"

**xoxoxo**

Her name was Bella, she was twenty-two years old, and terrified beyond anything I had ever seen before. Edward had picked her up on the subway, the one that they both rode. Not for the first time that night, I had to quell the urge to take Edward out back and put his head through every piece of concrete I could find until I knocked some sense into him.

Thanks to his carelessness, we were now left to clean up his mess. No doubt about it, the girl was going to have to die, that much was for sure, but Carlisle was reluctant to kill her, and even more reluctant to change her, although those were our only two options.

Carlisle had really taken Edward to task, something I never thought I'd see. He had ushered all of us from his office, leaving the human with Esme, before verbally tearing Edward a new one. In the forty-odd years I had been with the Cullens, I had never heard Carlisle curse before tonight. Edward was the prodigal child, the first vampire Carlisle ever changed. And for Edward to do the things he does has to be a blow to Carlisle. Edward's behavior had become more erratic recently, as he grew cockier. And finally, it came back around to bite him in the ass.

Personally, I was happy to see Edward taken down a couple of notches, that smug little son of a bitch.

Esme sent Emmett and me out to pick up something for Bella to eat. Bella was currently on our living room couch, flanked by Esme on one side, and Alice on the other. Esme's attempts at comfort were useless at best, however. Bella had gone silent, refusing to answer any of her questions, flinching away from her touches. I suppose the knowledge that you probably won't survive the night can do that to a person.

Alice was lost to her visions, looking for a solution. Since joining Esme and Bella on the couch, she had buried her face in her hands, murmuring to herself as she searched the future for the outcome. It was apparently slow-going. Rosalie was in the room as well, leaning against the wall far away from the couch, taking in the scene. Her face was impassive, but her anger was overwhelming. Whether it was at Edward, or the human girl stupid enough to fall for his charms, I wasn't sure.; I'd hazard a guess that it was at Edward; she continued his usual methods of feeding to be taking advantage of helpless girls. But everything about her, from her stance to her expression to her emotions screamed fury and promised pain.

Emmett and I, after a bit of argument, set off for a burger joint a few blocks from the apartment. It reportedly had decent food, not that either of us would know. We walked slower than we normally would, discussing the events.

"This is just insane, man. " Emmett said lowly, looking around the dark, but still busy street. We were stopped at a corner, waiting for the light to change.

"Tell me about it," I murmured back, closing my eyes and rocking back on my heels. "Fucking Edward is an idiot."

Emmett's amusement flared up. "An idiot, but an idiot with good taste. Light changed, bro." I opened my eyes and started across the street, looking over to Emmett.

"Rosalie would do a number on you if she heard you say that." I pointed out, and Emmett laughed loudly, frightening a couple of the tourists in front of us. I couldn't blame them; seeing this mammoth of a guy, who looked like he could snap you in half just by pinching you between his fingers, laughing madly was beyond disturbing. "You know it's true."

"Psh, Rose wouldn't do shit to me," he boasted, and I shook my head as we came upon the burger joint. "Seriously though. The girl's pretty damn hot for a human, and she smells good to boot. If Carlisle doesn't want to finish it, I have no problem doing it." He chuckled as we joined the line, and I just shook my head at his morbid sense of humor.

I didn't see the appeal in the girl. She was a bit scrawny, with the permanent "deer caught in the headlight" expression. Her blood did smell good, I'd grant that, but it was probably just the adrenaline dumped into her blood stream from her near brush with death. We made it to the front of the line after about five minutes of waiting and checking out the menu. The teenager behind the register greeted us with a slightly apathetic expression.

"Welcome to the Shake Shack. How can I help you?" He asked, looking up briefly from the register. I glanced up at the menu one last time, before adjusting my sunglasses, feeling every bit like a douche. I just couldn't wear contacts though, those things itched like crazy.

"Can I get a Shack Burger, a single, an order of fries, and…a Shack Attack Shake?" I finished with a shrug. Might as well get the girl a treat before she dies, I suppose. The teenager punched up the order, before looking back up at me.

"Is that all?" I nodded, and he hit a key, before telling me the total. I swiped my card and took the receipt before standing off to the side, next to Emmett.

"What do you think Carlisle is gonna do?" He asked after a couple of minutes. Before I could reply, the order number was called, and I collected the bag of foul-smelling food and the icy cup, before heading out.

"I don't know what he's gonna do, but I think it's safe to say he's not gonna give her to you." I said finally, when we were nearly home, and Emmett sneered at me. "Honestly? Carlisle's a pushover; if she agrees to absolute secrecy, he'll probably let her go, and just hope the Volturi never finds out." We entered through the front lobby, taking the elevator back up. Emmett tensed slightly at the mention of the Volturi, before shaking his head himself.

As soon as we got off the elevator, we heard raised voices, angry ones. Carlisle's and Edward's, overlapping each other, and Esme's, quieter, calming. We exchanged a glance, before Emmett unlocked the door.

What we walked in on was utter chaos. The flat-screen TV lay on the floor, smashed and emitting sparks. Edward stood over it, glowering at Carlisle who was just feet away, looking for all the world like he was going to hit Edward. Esme was between the pair, her hands pressed against their chests, separating them. Alice had shifted protectively in front of Bella, who had sunk even farther into her blankets, just her eyes peeking over the edge. Rosalie was nowhere to be seen. Everyone looked over at us when we walked in; Emmett was dumbstruck by the scene. I held up the bag, taking a step back.

"Uh, I brought food?"

**xoxoxo**

**Oh, Jazzy. How I love you, and your unabashed hatred for Edward. This story is an exercise in angst, and the occasional break from 'Allow Me To Introduce Myself.' I've sincerely become sick of that story, all the happiness, blargh. But, I'm still working on it, I'm just taking a step back to allow the lovey-dovey muse a chance to recharge while I get rid of all this annoying angst I'm feeling. But, for the most part, this is gonna be part crazy-angst, part humor, and a smidgen of romance, maybe.  
Posting schedule is as follows: I start school on Monday (fml), so the plan is to update every Saturday. That's if life doesn't get in the way. So, we can look forward to chapter 3 in one week! Considering I get chapter 4 done by then; I like to have the next week's chapter done by the time I post. **

**Review? :)**


	3. Chapter 2: No Sleep Tonight

**Disclaimer: Insight to a cracked mind**

**xoxoxo**

**Bella's POV**

These people are like the witch from Hansel and Gretel, I think. Here they are, feeding me, probably trying to fatten me up before they kill me. I've heard that stress makes animal meat more tender; at this point all the meat on my body will probably just fall off the bone by the time they kill me.

I shrank back further into my chair at the dining room table, avoiding the two women vampire's eyes. The motherly one, I think she said her name was Esme, smiled encouragingly at me every time I looked up, prompting me to eat. The tiny one, the crazy one that shook me like a maraca, sat next to Esme, but she wasn't looking at me, or at Esme for that matter. She had her head on the table, her eyes closed. She was perfectly still, in a way that only corpses should be. It was freaky.

"Drink your shake, darling. I hear that they are quite tasty." Esme said, and I took a sip, wincing at the loud slurping. The food sat heavily in my stomach, still tender from throwing up after the crazy trip I had up the stairs. There was no way that anyone could simply move that fast. I was more than sure that Edward had slipped me something when he kissed me. Maybe I was just hallucinating, and I'd wake up in my own bed tomorrow, hung over and probably with an STD, but otherwise alive.

Sure, that's the only explanation, right? How else could any of this be happening? I'm just imagining things, definitely. Stress from midterms, and from a lack of sleep could do that to anyone. Yep, I'm just going to have to see if I can get into a doctor's office next time I'm in Forks, maybe get some Ambien.

Satisfied now that I had come up with a rational explanation, I turned back to my meal, picking up the last couple of fries and dropping them into my mouth, my appetite (dream appetite? Would I wake up and find out I had tried to eat my pillow in the middle of the night?) renewed. I made short work of the burger, stuffing the paper wrapper into the bag, dropping the paper bag the fries came into the bag as well. I chanced a glance at Esme, who immediately swept the bag up, smiling. She patted my shoulder gently, and I flinched away. God, the woman was colder than ice—literally. Her smile fell a bit, then strengthened as she walked away. Picking up the shake, I looked back across the table, to the little pixie. Her cheek was now pressed against the table, as she observed me, her crimson eyes glowing. I dropped my eyes back down to my cup as Esme reappeared, standing uncomfortably close to me.

"Do you need anything, Bella?" She asked, and I shook my head, shifting away from her in my seat. Still smiling, she nodded her head. "Ok, well just let me know if you need anything. Alice will stay with you." The pixie girl sat up at that, shooting a look at Esme, who stared back sternly, before disappearing toward the front of the house.

Alice, that was her name, regarded me silently, her gaze heavy on me. I ignored her, popping the lid on my cup and reaching for the plastic spoon on the table, scooping out a bit of the frozen concoction.

"Why can't I see you?" Alice mused out loud, startling me just as I put the spoon in my mouth. I inhaled sharply and the milkshake went down the wrong way, numbing my throat. Fuck that _hurt._ I coughed, rubbing my throat and wincing as my body attempted to force out the milkshake. I set the cup down carefully, trying to quell my coughing as I looked up to Alice, who was staring at me as if I was a fascinating bug.

"I think you can see me pretty well, with how you're staring at me." I snapped between coughs. "Are you just going to watch me choke?" Alice pushed back her chair, and I blinked. When my eyes snapped back open, an open bottle of water sat in front of me. I chugged it gratefully, looking at Alice, who looked as if she had never moved from her seat.

"Maybe I should have let you choke," She replied casually, and I arched an eyebrow as I set the bottle down. "It surely would have saved us all a lot of trouble." She said, tapping her nails against the table.

I shook my head, drawing my legs up to my chest and resting my forehead on my knees. Taking a deep breath, I began counting, working to calm my breathing. I could feel Alice's stare on me for a long time, still.

**xoxoxo**

I wish I had my phone, so I knew what time it was. But I was pretty sure my bag was still wherever Edward had left it. He had taken it from me, hadn't he? There weren't any clocks in this room, and Alice had returned to the creepy corpse-like state, ignoring me entirely. Time felt like it was dragging on, and I was tired, for the first time in a long time. Yawning, I stretched slightly, reaching for the cup and stirring the melted, lukewarm mess in the bottom with my straw.

"Don't drink that." Alice said, and I looked up at her sharply. Her head was still on the table, her eyes closed. "If you do, you'll get food poisoning and it won't be pretty. Oh, and it's 2:43," I set the cup down slowly, drawing my knees back up to my chest.

Esme stuck her head into the dining room, the smile gone from her face. "Bella?" she said quietly, and I looked up at her. "Carlisle would like to talk with you."

Standing, my legs wobbled underneath me, and I clutched the back of my chair, closing my eyes. God, here it was. The death sentence. I wonder how'd they do it? Walking on legs that I couldn't feel, I followed Esme through the living room, where the remnants of the TV were, down the hallway, and back into the study where I had first been brought. The faint scent of ammonia lingered in the air, a patch of the rug noticeably darker that the rest. Carlisle looked up from the drawer he was rummaging in, a gentle smile crossing his face briefly.

Have a seat, please." He said, nodding to the chairs in front of the desk, and I sensed it was not a request, but an order. I sat on the edge of the seat as Carlisle pulled out a small first-aid kit. Closing the drawer, he rounded the desk, taking the seat next to mine, turning it to face me. Still smiling, he slipped on a pair of gloves. "May I see your hand?"

I withdrew my hand from my sweater pocket, offering it to him cautiously. He unwound the bloodstained cloth carefully, taking in the gash. The edges were smooth, as if I had been cut with a scalpel. That's what Edward must have used to cut me, I supposed. I didn't even see the knife; the boy was quick on his feet. He glanced at Esme, who turned the desk lamp, focusing it more on my hand.

Carlisle turned my hand, first in one direction, than another. His skin, like Esme's, was icy, but the coolness helped with the stinging in my palm. He gently spread the edges of the cut, peering inside, before pulling off the gloves, nodding to himself.

"Well, the cut isn't that deep, and there looks to be no major damage. I think we can get by with some steri-strips and a band-aid over it." Carlisle informed me as he rooted through the kit on his desk, emerging with another pair of gloves, along with a bottle and a few other pieces of equipment. Esme spread a towel over his lap, coming seemingly out of nowhere. Did Carlisle have an entire emergency room stored in here? I looked around surreptitiously, wondering where he hid the body bags. Carlisle slid on the gloves, reaching for the bottle.

"I'm just going to clean this, now." He said, and did just that, squirting some of the liquid onto a gauze pad, before wiping it over the cut. It stung slightly, and I flinched. He stilled my hand, still cleaning.

"Bella, I'm sure you already have a pretty decent idea of what's happening," Carlisle began in a no-nonsense tone, not looking up at me. And here it was, the beginning of the end. The part of the dream that would get so crazy that I'd wake up.

"Sure I do. You guys are gonna eat me, right? You're cannibals or something. Or you're going to use me as some sort of human sacrifice." I said dully, and Carlisle's head snapped up at that, his golden eyes widening. He stared at me, as if I was joking, before shaking his head and releasing my hand.

"You don't have a clue, do you?" Carlisle asked, and before I could answer, he continued. "We don't eat humans, at least not in the sense you're thinking of. You see," He said, setting the gauze aside in a bowl, "My family and I are vampires."

I pulled back immediately, yanking my hand from his grasp. The cut on my palm stung, but I ignored it, jumping up from the chair, which fell to the floor. Jesus fuck, what did that boy give me? Carlisle stood as well, holding his hands out.

"Stay away from me! This is all some sort of fucking hallucination, and I'm gonna wake up in my bed! You can't hurt, me you're not fucking real!" I screamed, backing up toward the door. I ran into something cold, and solid. Wheeling around, I found myself face-to-face with Esme, whose face was sad. "You don't touch me either!"

She ignored me, taking me firmly by the shoulders and leading me back over to the chair, which Carlisle righted. She placed me firmly in the seat, still holding onto my shoulders. I fought to get away, but I couldn't even rise an inch. My breath caught in my throat, as panic set in.

"You need to calm down." Carlisle said sternly, grabbing my wrists and holding them. "Relax!" He commanded sharply, and I couldn't stop the small cry that escaped my throat. Carlisle sat down, releasing the wrist of my uninjured hand, turning the other palm over. The cut was bleeding again, just a tiny trickle. But that trickle would surely be my downfall. Smart job, Bella, bleeding in front of vampires. I didn't think it was possible to die in a dream, but I guess I was about to find otherwise.

Carlisle prepared another swab, cleaning my hand, while Esme continued to hold me in my seat. He continued on, as if I hadn't tried to run. "Myself and Esme don't eat humans, nor does Rosalie. The blonde one." He clarified, glancing up to see my confused expression. "The rest of them do, but for the most part, they don't prey on innocents." His lips set into a thin line at that.

"Then why am I here?" I asked, then clapped a hand over my mouth, horrified that I asked. He dropped the bloodied gauze into the bowl, before busying himself with cutting off small adhesive strips.

"Edward…well Edward is a bit eccentric in his feeding habits. He tends to like them young, and pretty. It satisfies his carnal needs very well." Carlisle said slowly, attaching the first strip to my skin. "You should know that if Alice and Jasper hadn't interfered, you would surely be dead by now."

Carlisle said it so casually, as if it was written fact. Maybe it was, who knew? Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I tried to stop my nervous shivers.

"But now this leaves us with a bit of a dilemma. Now that you know our secret, you only have two options." He placed the band-aid over the strips, smoothing it along my palm. Releasing my hand, he tugged off the gloves, dropping them into the bowl, before leaning forward, resting his forearms on his legs. Clasping his hands, he stared at me levelly, his golden eyes unreadable.

"What are those two options?" I squeaked out, and Esme squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. I ignored her, still staring at Carlisle.

"Well," He began slowly, rubbing his palms together as he regarded me. "You can either die, or you can become one of us."

My hand throbbed painfully as I curled it into a fist, closing my eyes. God, why hadn't I woken up yet?

**xoxoxo**

**Aww, poor Bells. She's delusional. In Bella's mind, Edward slipped her some sort of drug, and he's probably taking advantage of her while she's having one hell of a lucid dream. Too bad it's all reality. My Bella is a little unstable, prone to attempting to rationalize every situation, under intense amounts of stress, and an insomniac. Expect more streams of consciousness in this thread. **

**As you can tell, this scene is extremely similar to the post b-day scene in New Moon, but a bit different. I didn't realize it until I was partway through that's where it was going, but here it is. Are you guys enjoying this so far? Leave me reviews with thoughts, criticisms, what you like, so on and so forth.  
The Cullens aren't going to be as quite as enchanted with Bella as they are in Stephenie Meyer's series.**


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